Bethany Beach, Delaware, 1962, right after the storm. I’d buy up about ten parcels of land – each for about $12,000 – and put the deeds in a safe deposit box. I would also set up a trust fund including detailed instructions on purchases for the coming years. I’d need two lawyers and a stock broker who were in on it, too – a series of double envelopes would prevent anyone from knowing that I’d written instructions to buy MSFT before MSFT existed.
Also, give the lawyer a few more letters to mail while I’m at it:
October 1963, to the Chief of the Secret Service, the White House
January 1974, to the head of the CIA
June 1987, to Warren Buffett ('cause I’d have Berk/Hath shares, and I’m a nice guy)
January 1986, to the Head of Safety, NASA
August 30, 2001, to the FAA
Early summer, 2001, to Mohammed Shah Massoud (the “Lion of the Panjshir”)
September 1994, to Miss Monica Lewinsky
oh yeah, and:
December 1996, to myself, in boarding school (I already have a copy of this one – I’ll just mail it again)
Last time I made a bundle of money and my letters prevented the 1985 ICBM exchange with the USSR, but that apparently caused the German reunification to happen later, and on the Western side, preventing the German Freedom Revolution of 1987. The Germans were strong enough militarily that a complete invasion of Iraq was practical back during DESERT RAIN (DESERT STORM to this timeline).
I occasionally go back to Jan. 16, 1938, and dressed as an usher, materialize inside Carnegie Hall, just as the Benny Goodman concert gets underway. (Repeatedly materializing as ticket-holders and taking up a bunch of seats would change the timeline.) Of course the more I do this, the more the place is filling up with ushers. If I’m not careful, I’ll bump the Dionne quintuplets into also-rans.
